Capitol Notebook: Wind Farm Restrictions May Be Studied

A Senate committee took no stand Thursday to restrict wind power farms.

A bill by Sen. John Howe, R-Red Wing, said there is only a remote chance that his bill requiring that wind turbines be a half mile from property lines will pass this year, but a task force likely will discuss the issue before next yearâ€™s legislative session.

A pair of Goodhue County residents who want stiffer rules on where wind turbines may be built and farmers from other parts of the state who say that is too restrictive took part in an hour-long debate in front of the Senate energy committee.

Kristie Rosenquist and Paul Reese supported the Howe bill to require that turbines be at least half a mile from properties not associated with a wind farm.

Industrial-sized wind turbines do not belong in areas with homes, Rosenquist said, because they produce low-intensity noise, cause headaches, produce â€œshadow flickerâ€ from turbines turning in front of the sun and emit stray electricity.

Rosenquist and Reese are involved in a fight about a proposed wind farm. The case involving a Goodhue County ordinance that some say is too restrictive awaits a state Public Utilities Commission hearing.

Paynesville-area dairy farmer Ken Schefers said the Howe proposal would take excessive amounts of land out of consideration for wind farms. The bill would â€œabsolutely end wind power,â€ Olmstead County farmer John Meyer added.

â€œYou chose to hold out the open or close for business sign in Minnesota,â€ Meyer said.

But, Reese said, it is more important to give people a choice â€œwhat they want to live with.â€

Land-rights attorney Dan Schleck said wind farm decisions are made by a case by case basis, and supported a statewide standard. The Howe bill would provide more predictability for both developers and neighbors, he said.

Special session talk

A key House Republican did not like Democratic Gov. Mark Dayton talking about a possible special legislative session.

â€œGov. Daytonâ€™s a good man, and heâ€™s already shown leadership on several legislative issues this year,â€ House Tax Chairman Greg Davids, R-Preston, said Thursday. â€œBut as I said in tax committee this morning: Governor, please donâ€™t quit. Please donâ€™t give up; 17 days is a lifetime, we can make this work. Please donâ€™t quit.â€

In answering reportersâ€™ questions this week, Dayton said his optimism about finishing the legislative on time is waning.

The state Constitution requires the Legislature to adjourn by May 23, but Dayton could call lawmakers back to a special session if funding bills are not done by then.

The next deadline is June 30, when the current budget ends. If there is not budget deal by then, parts of state government could shut down.

House-Senate conference committees are meeting this week to work out differences between spending bills the two chambers have passed. Dayton insists that Republican legislative leaders finish those negotiations before he gets involved.

Senate Majority Leader Amy Koch, R-Buffalo, said conferees will continue to meet, and the full Senate will meet every day next week, probably including Saturday.

â€œThere is enough time in session to get this done,â€ Deputy Senate Majority Leader Geoff Michel, R-Edina, said.

However, he added, Dayton needs to get involved in negotiations soon.

â€œWe need a governor who is going to lead, not commentating,â€ Michel said.

Photo ID passes

The House approved a bill 73-59 that would require Minnesotans to show a photographic identification before voting.

Â Senators already passed a similar measure, so slight differences need to be to be negotiated before the bill goes to Gov. Mark Dayton. The Democratic governor says he will only sign election-related changes if they have strong bipartisan backing, but the House and Senate votes were one-sided, with mostly Republicans in favor.

Representatives amended the bill to include one provision Dayton wanted, to require politicians to report contributions and spending even during non-election years.

Bill sponsor Rep. Mary Kiffmeyer, R-Big Lake, said that if Dayton vetoes the bill a constitutional amendment likely will be attempted. The governor does not have to approve a constitutional amendment; instead, it goes directly from the Legislature to votes in the November 2012 election.

The new law, which the House and Senate earlier passed unanimously, says local governments may allow variances to zoning ordinances when strictly following an ordinance would be difficulty. For instance, a variance could allow a garage to be built closer to the property line than ordinances otherwise would allow.

The Minnesota Supreme Court overturned an existing law that allowed variances.

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ABOUT

Don Davis

Davis has covered Minnesota politics and government for Forum Communications Company/Forum News Service since 2001. He is an Iowa native who was a reporter and editor at newspapers there, leaving the state to edit newspapers in Illinois, Oklahoma and Wyoming before becoming a full-time political reporter in North Dakota. Now, newspapers across Minnesota print his stories.